Chapter 891 The Chinese Team Is the Biggest Dark Horse
The next day, Dong Fangzhuo realized why Zhu Heyuan paid so much attention to safety.
Dong Fangzhuo read the news and learned that just last night, a shocking scene occurred at the headquarters of the England team, a strong contender for the championship. The local police arrested a middle-aged policeman for drunk driving at the England Station in Rastenberg. The arrest process was so thrilling that the pursuing police even fired warning shots before catching his colleague. The incident took place a stone's throw away from the heavily guarded Bafokeng Sports Park of England, and the sports facilities there could even be seen.
Fortunately, Krauchen also knew the situation in Africa quite well. After the team arrived in South Africa, the players were prohibited from going out for any reason, which was almost equivalent to putting the players under house arrest. In order to ensure the safety of the team, the leaders of the Football Association even contacted the embassy and doubled the security to protect the Chinese team...
As the hottest celebrity today, Dong Fangzhuo, the "popular king" chased by local fans in South Africa, has received unprecedented care. China has never opened training. Those media reporters who want to interview the Chinese team and Dong Fangzhuo must go through strict procedures. review to reach them.
The Chinese team really puts 'safety first' first...
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The World Cup is getting closer and closer. Pique's Shakira has already become famous as Wakawaka before the World Cup. There are also more and more reports about the World Cup in various countries.
What surprises Chinese fans is that the media in most countries regard the Chinese team as the biggest dark horse.
"The Chinese team will be the biggest dark horse in the 2010 World Cup!" Carbonero, the host of Spanish National TV Channel 5, Casillas's girlfriend, and who slept with Dong Fangzhuo, interviewed former Spanish Real Madrid star Hierro, yeah That's what Luo said.
"Many people have forgotten the Chinese team in the 2006 World Cup. They already played very well at that time, and our country was only tied with them. Four years later, they will give the world a bigger shock. Group A will definitely This is not an easy group. If France thinks they are superior in this group, then they are totally wrong. Nowadays, Chinese players are all over Europe. It doesn’t take much for Fangzhuo Dong to be the world’s number one striker. There are also players in their team. Players like Xiao Ting Feng are at Schalke and he is a very good centre-back."
"Tao Chen, although he plays in an unknown league, he won the Belgian Best Player Award last season. You must know that the Belgian league is full of monsters, and it is definitely not easy for him to stand out."
"Xuri Zhao, who plays for Espanyol, has firmly become the core of Espanyol. Zhu, who plays for the Premier League, is also the guy who once targeted Messi. There are also several players in the Portuguese League..."
Hierro must have done his homework;
As a guest commentator for National Radio 5, he conducted some research on the Chinese team early on.
"I think they will break through in the group stage and then meet Argentina as second place in the group. As everyone knows about Argentina, they are a team that is very strong on paper but very rubbish in actual combat ability. Mara Dorner's team may be at the feet of the Chinese team, and then the Chinese team is likely to encounter Germany..."
Hierro made some predictions about the prospects of the Chinese team, and even the German team predicted it.
But is it really okay to describe Argentina as ‘trash’?
Before Spain's rise in Europe, it seemed that its World Cup results were not very good...
Also holding the same view as Hierro is Lineker of Sky Sports in the UK. He exclaimed on the show: "China, definitely China, because they have an alien there. As long as the ball is passed to him, he can solve the problem. I even think that Argentina is actually worried about meeting the Chinese team. Mei Messi is unparalleled, but he has proven countless times that he can't beat the Chinese Dong when he leads the team. This is the case in the Champions League and the Olympics. I am really worried about Messi."
Next, Lineker analyzed the opening game further.
"Judging from the odds offered by European and other bookmakers, this game is more likely to be a draw. The odds of South Africa winning or the Chinese team winning are basically the same. This game always feels a bit weird."
"South Africa has their unique advantages, for example."
"1. The home host has good adaptability to the venue climate."
"2. The player's size and explosive power are obviously better than those of Mexico."
"3. Advantages of referee factors."
"4. The monetary reward factor. The South African Football Association will reward you heavily if you win. African teams all have this problem. There are rewards for high morale and hard work."
"5. South Africa's formation is 4231. This formation is a defensive counterattack formation. The coach's intention is very obvious. Africans are famous for their endurance and speed. It will be a very big test for Mexico."
"Of course their disadvantages are also very obvious."
Next, Lineker listed South Africa's disadvantages. Compared with Spain's Ye Luo, Lineker's work was more detailed, down to the technical and tactical aspects.
"1. The overall technical and tactical level of the players is not as good as that of their opponents."
"2. My foot skills are relatively rough."
"3. Teamwork ability is weaker than the opponent's."
Of course, he is also indispensable for his analysis of the Chinese team.
"The Chinese team also has their advantages."
"1. They have Dong!"
"2. They have Dong!"
"3. They have Dong!"
"Well, they have quality players, excellent teamwork, good at short-pass penetration, player flexibility, and competition experience are better than their opponents. This Chinese team has played in the top 16 of the World Cup, the semi-finals of the World Youth Championship, and the Olympic finals , Asian Cup final, most people play in Europe, no matter how you look at it, the Chinese team will not be weaker than South Africa!"
"The Chinese team's weaknesses are away games, climate and other factors. The players are short in stature and weak in impact resistance. All Asian teams are like this."
What makes Chinese fans dumbfounded is that in the eyes of South African fans, many of them actually support the Chinese team.
In an interview with a local TV station, they said: "Although I support my country, I don't think South Africa can win a good start. A draw is already the best result. You ask why? The reason is simple, because the Chinese director, I don't Think there’s someone in the South African team who can mark him.”
"If God sends a Dong, then South Africa will also become a strong team. I think the Chinese team is not a dark horse, but a strong team. In our country, the greatest person is Mandela, and Dong is China Team Mandela.”
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On the afternoon of June 10, Beijing time, Dong Fangzhuo and Krauchen attended the pre-match press conference accompanied by 100 armed security personnel.
Krauchen simply chatted about the two teams.
"We are not here to travel to South Africa, we are here to play in the World Cup, so any team that underestimates us will regret it."
A short sentence, but it revealed a strong murderous intent.
"We have a lot of good players and if we can play well in the opening game, then we can go our own way."
"I am very happy to play the World Cup in South Africa. South Africa is a very beautiful and magical country. Many years from now, people will miss this World Cup very much."
Then he announced the Chinese team's lineup.
Goalkeeper: Zeng Cheng
Defenders: Sun Jihai, Feng Xiaoting, Li Weifeng, Zhu Ting
, Zhao Xuri, Hao Junmin, Zheng Zhi, Mao Jianqing
Forward: Dong Fangzhuo
That's right, in 4231, Zheng Zhi's position was moved forward, to the midfielder.
Many years ago, Zheng Zhi's position changed from forward to attacking midfielder, then to defensive midfielder, and then to central defender.
Many years later, Zheng Zhi's position was continuously moved up.
This may be Krauchen's biggest change in the Chinese team's lineup adjustment.
Dong Fangzhuo did not stay long at the press conference. He only praised South Africa.
"This is a beautiful country. Just like a song written by a great singer in our country, it makes people full of yearning and respect."
Dong Fangzhuo thought of Huang Jiaju.
"Mr. Mandela is what I remember most."
"I hope South Africa will become better and better because of the World Cup." The entire press conference only lasted about 15 minutes and ended incredibly quickly.
On the contrary, the press conference in South Africa lasted for nearly an hour. Maybe South Africans are used to the situation in their country!
The head coach of the South African national team, Brazilian Pereira, was spitting.
"South Africa is the third African team to participate in the opening game of the World Cup. The two previous teams have upset the defending champions. Cameroon defeated Argentina in 1990 and Senegal defeated France in 2002. The host nation has participated in the opening game 7 times and remains undefeated. South Africa has been unbeaten for 12 consecutive games. So the opening game in the evening is actually not a big pressure for us."
"The strength of the Chinese team cannot be underestimated, but we have the home court advantage and we will definitely get a victory for the South African fans."
"I know they have the best striker in the world, but football is an 11-man game and I know how to deal with them."
Then he also announced the lineup:
Goalkeeper: Cune
Defenders: Gakwa, Kumalo, Mokena, Twala
Midfielder: Modise, Legiolognane, Diharshva, Tshabalala, Pienaar
Forward: Mphela
This is a team without any stars. If so, then Pienaar can barely count...
Although South Africa is full of potential violence and danger, it still cannot stop fans from all over the world from integrating into South Africa.
There are already huge crowds of people outside the Johannesburg Football City Stadium. The 19th World Cup is about to begin.
At this time, Huang Jianxiang and Duan Xuan of CCAV5 were already sitting in the live broadcast room, reporting on the opening ceremony.
There is no doubt that this is also a festival for Chinese fans.
Next to Huang Jianxiang and Duan Xuan, there were two former national football guests, Hao Haidong and Fan Zhiyi.
When he accidentally talked about the Portuguese team, Hao Haidong suddenly said something.
"Cristiano Ronaldo, he is a very good player, but with his physical style of play, he will be popular for at most three years..."